Cultural English

Cultural English lessons contain information to
help you understand the United States and American culture. Learn
English as you learn about the U.S.

Learn English through American culture and history - more than 2,000 topics:

Holidays and Festivals

American Writers and Artists

Famous Places, Cities, and States

Popular Movies

Well-Known Books

Presidents, Politics, and History

Common English Language Questions and Answers

Each lesson contains:

Audio: about 30-minute lessons
+
Text: 8-10 page Learning Guides

A Respected, World-Famous Language Professor

Dr. Jeff McQuillan is a
recognized expert and leading researcher in English language learning
and teaching. He received his Ph.D. in applied linguistics and education
from the University of Southern California, and was a university
professor for many years. He's published dozens of articles and books
related to linguistics, literacy, and English language learning. His
work has appeared in the media both nationally and internationally,
including CNN, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Deutschlandfunk Radio, El Pais, China Post, MacWorld, Diario Financiero, Universia, and many others.

FEATURED IN

I have been listening to your podcasts since December 2008. My English has been improving ever since! My results for the TOEIC exam improved from 570 to 840!

– Yuzo (Japan)

Helpful in not only learning English, but American culture as well. Very practical and useful in daily life in the States.

– MingH

I'm so glad I have you in my MP3 player - I can't stop listening to you guys! My English has increased so much with you.

Common Questions + Answers

ESLPod.com uses a very different approach from that of other courses or websites. Our method is based on the fact – supported by more than 40 years of scientific research – that the fastest way to improve your English is to listen to conversations and discussions you can understand.

Many people try to improve their English by listening or reading things in English that are too difficult. They understand only 40-50%, which means they are wasting half of their time!

Our English lessons are provided at a slower speed and include useful everyday phrases and expressions. We explain in detail and with examples what these expressions mean and how to use them in a simple and clear way. This research-based approach is the best way to improve your English quickly so you can speak it easily and confidently.

ESLPod.com was developed by a team of experienced English language learning professors with over 30 years of high school, adult, and university ESL teaching experience. ESLPod.com’s founders, Dr. Jeff McQuillan and Dr. Lucy Tse, are recognized experts in the field of language learning. They have published research-based books used as textbooks in university courses as well as dozens of scientific research articles in linguistics and language learning, and have appeared as experts in the media, including CNN, Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle, among many others.

Yes! ESLPod.com lessons are for intermediate and advanced English learners. Our lessons are not “leveled” or in order of difficulty, but are appropriate for all intermediate and advanced speakers of English.

You can listen to our dialogues at both a “learning speed” (a little slower and clearer than regular speech) and a “normal speed” (the way Americans naturally speak). You’ll hear a clear and detailed explanation of the difficult and key terms. You will also have a complete transcript of every word spoken in each lesson, so you can follow along as you listen or find the words you aren’t sure about or simply want to see in writing.

If you’re not sure if ESLPod.com lessons are for you, listen to free sample lessons here.

All of our files for Special English Membership, English Collections, and Special Courses are MP3 and PDF files that you can download and use wherever you'd like.

We offer the option to download our files in compressed “ZIP” format and individually.

ZIP files normally need to be downloaded on a laptop or desktop computer and then “unzipped” to use the files. After you download them onto your computer, you can then transfer them to your listening device, just like you would any other audio files you want to put on your phone, tablet, or MP3 player.

Individual MP3 files cannot normally be downloaded directly from our website to your phone, tablet, or MP3 player. Most likely, you will need a computer to download them and then transfer the files to your device.

We recommend you use either a computer or tablet to read the PDF Learning Guide, since PDF files are more difficult to read on a smartphone.

We no longer offer Premium Memberships. If you had an active, paid Premium Membership when we changed our system in late 2016 and you continue to pay $10 per month, you continue to be a Premium Member. However, if you cancel your old Premium Membership, you will no longer be able to get it back. If you have questions about this, please contact our customer support team here.

Select English is a membership that renews automatically each month. You can choose from 1800+ “Daily English” and “Cultural English” lessons each month. You decide which lessons are best for you. You get 15 lessons a month for $14.99. You download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read them on any device, anywhere. Learn more here.

English Collections allows you to download only those sets of lessons you choose. You can purchase a set of “Daily English” lessons in groups of 50 or a set of “Cultural English” lessons in groups of 30. You can download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read on any device, anywhere. Learn more about English Collections.

For each 30 days of your membership, you get a credit for 15 lessons. You can select and download your 15 lessons from any of our 1800+ Select English lessons (Daily English and Cultural English).

Remember that your 15 credits expire (end) in 30 days, so be sure to select and download your lessons each month. You can only use your 15 credits for the 1800+ Select English lessons, not for our English Collections or Special Courses.

It’s easy! Log in and go to the “My Account” page, click on the “My Membership” tab, and then click “View” next to your subscription. Then you will see the Cancel button for your subscription. You can cancel anytime.

Remember that you must download all of your files before your membership expires! You have 30 days to download your files. Please keep them in a safe place as it is not possible to download them after 30 days.

Select English is a membership that renews automatically each month. You can choose from 1800+ “Daily English” and “Cultural English” lessons each month. You decide which lessons are best for you. You get 15 lessons a month for $14.99. You download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read them on any device, anywhere. Learn more here.

English Collections allows you to download only those sets of lessons you choose. You can purchase a set of “Daily English” lessons in groups of 50 or a set of “Cultural English” lessons in groups of 30. You can download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read on any device, anywhere. Learn more about English Collections.

After you purchase an English Collections set, you have 30 days to download the MP3 audio and PDF Learning Guide files. After that time, you will not be able to download your files from our website without buying the English Collections set again.

Please remember to download your files and keep them in a safe place. We are not able to give you access to your lessons after the 30-day period.

All of our lessons consist of MP3 and PDF files.Once downloaded, you can listen to the audio (MP3) lessons using any computer, tablet, smartphone, or music player that plays MP3 files.Once downloaded, Learning Guides (PDF) can be read on any computer, tablet, or smartphone that displays PDF files.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

Select English is a membership that renews automatically each month. You can choose from 1800+ “Daily English” and “Cultural English” lessons each month. You decide which lessons are best for you. You get 15 lessons a month for $14.99. You download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read them on any device, anywhere. Learn more here.English Collections allows you to download only those sets of lessons you choose. You can purchase a set of “Daily English” lessons in groups of 50 or a set of “Cultural English” lessons in groups of 30. You can download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read on any device, anywhere. Learn more about English Collections.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

For each 30 days of your membership, you get a credit for 15 lessons. You can select and download your 15 lessons from any of our 1800+ Select English lessons (Daily English and Cultural English).Remember that your 15 credits expire (end) in 30 days, so be sure to select and download your lessons each month. You can only use your 15 credits for the 1800+ Select English lessons, not for our English Collections or Special Courses.To see how to select your lessons and download them, watch our video.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

It’s easy! Log in and go to the “My Account” page, click on the “My Membership” tab, and then click “View” next to your subscription. Then you will see the Cancel button for your subscription. You can cancel anytime.Remember that you must download all of your files before your membership expires! You have 30 days to download your files. Please keep them in a safe place as it is not possible to download them after 30 days.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

Select English is a membership that renews automatically each month. You can choose from 1800+ “Daily English” and “Cultural English” lessons each month. You decide which lessons are best for you. You get 15 lessons a month for $14.99. You download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read them on any device, anywhere. Learn more here.English Collections allows you to download only those sets of lessons you choose. You can purchase a set of “Daily English” lessons in groups of 50 or a set of “Cultural English” lessons in groups of 30. You can download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read on any device, anywhere. Learn more about English Collections.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

English Collection sets or packages contain a mix of useful English in several topics: About You, Business, Clothing/Grooming, Daily Life, Education, Entertainment/Sports, Food/Drink, Government/Law, Health/Medicine, Home/Community, Money, Nature/Weather, Relationships/Family, Shopping, Technology, Transportation, and Travel.If you want to select only certain topics, we suggest you sign up for our Select English Membership, which allows you to choose individual lessons in our Lesson Library.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

All of our lessons consist of MP3 and PDF files.Once downloaded, you can listen to the audio (MP3) lessons using any computer, tablet, smartphone, or music player that plays MP3 files.Once downloaded, Learning Guides (PDF) can be read on any computer, tablet, or smartphone that displays PDF files.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

Select English is a membership that renews automatically each month. You can choose from 1800+ “Daily English” and “Cultural English” lessons each month. You decide which lessons are best for you. You get 15 lessons a month for $14.99. You download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read them on any device, anywhere. Learn more here.English Collections allows you to download only those sets of lessons you choose. You can purchase a set of “Daily English” lessons in groups of 50 or a set of “Cultural English” lessons in groups of 30. You can download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read on any device, anywhere. Learn more about English Collections.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

For each 30 days of your membership, you get a credit for 15 lessons. You can select and download your 15 lessons from any of our 1800+ Select English lessons (Daily English and Cultural English).Remember that your 15 credits expire (end) in 30 days, so be sure to select and download your lessons each month. You can only use your 15 credits for the 1800+ Select English lessons, not for our English Collections or Special Courses.To see how to select your lessons and download them, watch our video.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

It’s easy! Log in and go to the “My Account” page, click on the “My Membership” tab, and then click “View” next to your subscription. Then you will see the Cancel button for your subscription. You can cancel anytime.Remember that you must download all of your files before your membership expires! You have 30 days to download your files. Please keep them in a safe place as it is not possible to download them after 30 days.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

Select English is a membership that renews automatically each month. You can choose from 1800+ “Daily English” and “Cultural English” lessons each month. You decide which lessons are best for you. You get 15 lessons a month for $14.99. You download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read them on any device, anywhere. Learn more here.English Collections allows you to download only those sets of lessons you choose. You can purchase a set of “Daily English” lessons in groups of 50 or a set of “Cultural English” lessons in groups of 30. You can download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read on any device, anywhere. Learn more about English Collections.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

All of our lessons consist of MP3 and PDF files.Once downloaded, you can listen to the audio (MP3) lessons using any computer, tablet, smartphone, or music player that plays MP3 files.Once downloaded, Learning Guides (PDF) can be read on any computer, tablet, or smartphone that displays PDF files.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

Select English is a membership that renews automatically each month. You can choose from 1800+ “Daily English” and “Cultural English” lessons each month. You decide which lessons are best for you. You get 15 lessons a month for $14.99. You download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read them on any device, anywhere. Learn more here.English Collections allows you to download only those sets of lessons you choose. You can purchase a set of “Daily English” lessons in groups of 50 or a set of “Cultural English” lessons in groups of 30. You can download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read on any device, anywhere. Learn more about English Collections.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

For each 30 days of your membership, you get a credit for 15 lessons. You can select and download your 15 lessons from any of our 1800+ Select English lessons (Daily English and Cultural English).Remember that your 15 credits expire (end) in 30 days, so be sure to select and download your lessons each month. You can only use your 15 credits for the 1800+ Select English lessons, not for our English Collections or Special Courses.To see how to select your lessons and download them, watch our video.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

It’s easy! Log in and go to the “My Account” page, click on the “My Membership” tab, and then click “View” next to your subscription. Then you will see the Cancel button for your subscription. You can cancel anytime.Remember that you must download all of your files before your membership expires! You have 30 days to download your files. Please keep them in a safe place as it is not possible to download them after 30 days.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

Select English is a membership that renews automatically each month. You can choose from 1800+ “Daily English” and “Cultural English” lessons each month. You decide which lessons are best for you. You get 15 lessons a month for $14.99. You download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read them on any device, anywhere. Learn more here.English Collections allows you to download only those sets of lessons you choose. You can purchase a set of “Daily English” lessons in groups of 50 or a set of “Cultural English” lessons in groups of 30. You can download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read on any device, anywhere. Learn more about English Collections.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

English Collection sets or packages contain a mix of useful English in several topics: About You, Business, Clothing/Grooming, Daily Life, Education, Entertainment/Sports, Food/Drink, Government/Law, Health/Medicine, Home/Community, Money, Nature/Weather, Relationships/Family, Shopping, Technology, Transportation, and Travel.If you want to select only certain topics, we suggest you sign up for our Select English Membership, which allows you to choose individual lessons in our Lesson Library.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

ESLPod.com使用一個與其它的課程或網站完全不同的方法。我們的方法是基於這樣的事實—我們的課程得到了40多年的科學研究的支持,快速提高英語的方法就是傾聽你能夠理解的對話和討論。許多人試圖通過聽或閱讀高難度的英語來提高他們的英語。他們只明白其中40-50%的內容,這意味著他們浪費了一半的時間!我們的英語課程提供慢速英語教學,包括有用的日常短語和表達。我們會解釋這些表達是什麼意思，以及如何以簡單明瞭的方式使用它們。這種研究方法是提高英語水平的最快和最好的方法,這樣你才能夠輕鬆和自信地說英語。ESLPod.com是由一組經驗豐富的英語作為第二語言（English as a Second Language）的專家組成的，這些專業專家擁有超過30年的高中,成年和大學英語教學經驗。ESLPod.com的創始人Jeff McQuillan博士和Lucy Tse博士,是公認的語言學習該領域的專家。他們在語言學和語言學習領域出版了研究書籍，以及幾十個科學研究論文,並出現在以下媒體中,包括CNN,洛杉磯時報、舊金山紀事報和許多其它媒體中。

All of our lessons consist of MP3 and PDF files.Once downloaded, you can listen to the audio (MP3) lessons using any computer, tablet, smartphone, or music player that plays MP3 files.Once downloaded, Learning Guides (PDF) can be read on any computer, tablet, or smartphone that displays PDF files.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

Select English is a membership that renews automatically each month. You can choose from 1800+ “Daily English” and “Cultural English” lessons each month. You decide which lessons are best for you. You get 15 lessons a month for $14.99. You download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read them on any device, anywhere. Learn more here.English Collections allows you to download only those sets of lessons you choose. You can purchase a set of “Daily English” lessons in groups of 50 or a set of “Cultural English” lessons in groups of 30. You can download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read on any device, anywhere. Learn more about English Collections.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

For each 30 days of your membership, you get a credit for 15 lessons. You can select and download your 15 lessons from any of our 1800+ Select English lessons (Daily English and Cultural English).Remember that your 15 credits expire (end) in 30 days, so be sure to select and download your lessons each month. You can only use your 15 credits for the 1800+ Select English lessons, not for our English Collections or Special Courses.To see how to select your lessons and download them, watch our video.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

It’s easy! Log in and go to the “My Account” page, click on the “My Membership” tab, and then click “View” next to your subscription. Then you will see the Cancel button for your subscription. You can cancel anytime.Remember that you must download all of your files before your membership expires! You have 30 days to download your files. Please keep them in a safe place as it is not possible to download them after 30 days.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

Select English is a membership that renews automatically each month. You can choose from 1800+ “Daily English” and “Cultural English” lessons each month. You decide which lessons are best for you. You get 15 lessons a month for $14.99. You download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read them on any device, anywhere. Learn more here.English Collections allows you to download only those sets of lessons you choose. You can purchase a set of “Daily English” lessons in groups of 50 or a set of “Cultural English” lessons in groups of 30. You can download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read on any device, anywhere. Learn more about English Collections.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

ESLPod.com使用一个与其它的课程或网站完全不同的方法。我们的方法是基于这样的事实—我们的课程得到了40多年的科学研究的支持,快速提高英语的方法就是倾听你能够理解的对话和讨论。许多人试图通过听或阅读高难度的英语来提高他们的英语。他们只明白其中40-50%的内容,这意味着他们浪费了一半的时间!我们的英语课程提供慢速英语教学,包括有用的日常短语和表达。我们会解释这些表达是什么意思，以及如何以简单明了的方式使用它们。这种研究方法是提高英语水平的最快和最好的方法,这样你才能够轻松和自信地说英语。ESLPod.com是由一组经验丰富的英语作为第二语言（English as a Second Language）的专家组成的，这些专业专家拥有超过30年的高中,成年和大学英语教学经验。ESLPod.com的创始人Jeff McQuillan博士和Lucy Tse博士,是公认的语言学习该领域的专家。他们在语言学和语言学习领域出版了研究书籍，以及几十个科学研究论文,并出现在以下媒体中,包括CNN,洛杉矶时报、旧金山纪事报和许多其它媒体中。

All of our lessons consist of MP3 and PDF files.Once downloaded, you can listen to the audio (MP3) lessons using any computer, tablet, smartphone, or music player that plays MP3 files.Once downloaded, Learning Guides (PDF) can be read on any computer, tablet, or smartphone that displays PDF files.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

Select English is a membership that renews automatically each month. You can choose from 1800+ “Daily English” and “Cultural English” lessons each month. You decide which lessons are best for you. You get 15 lessons a month for $14.99. You download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read them on any device, anywhere. Learn more here.English Collections allows you to download only those sets of lessons you choose. You can purchase a set of “Daily English” lessons in groups of 50 or a set of “Cultural English” lessons in groups of 30. You can download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read on any device, anywhere. Learn more about English Collections.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

For each 30 days of your membership, you get a credit for 15 lessons. You can select and download your 15 lessons from any of our 1800+ Select English lessons (Daily English and Cultural English).The 15 credits you get every 30 days is actually worth $45.00. Each lesson costs $3.00, so you can use the credit 15 times in our Store (15 x $3.00 = $45.00). A Select English Membership is the only available option that allows you to select the individual lessons you want.To see how to select your lessons and download them, watch our video.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

It’s easy! Log in and go to the “My Account” page, click on the “My Membership” tab, and then click “View” next to your subscription. Then you will see the Cancel button for your subscription. You can cancel anytime.Remember that you must download all of your files before your membership expires! You have 30 days to download your files. Please keep them in a safe place as it is not possible to download them after 30 days.Would you help us translate this question and answer?

Select English is a membership that renews automatically each month. You can choose from 1800+ “Daily English” and “Cultural English” lessons each month. You decide which lessons are best for you. You get 15 lessons a month for $14.99. You download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read them on any device, anywhere. Learn more here.English Collections allows you to download only those sets of lessons you choose. You can purchase a set of “Daily English” lessons in groups of 50 or a set of “Cultural English” lessons in groups of 30. You can download the MP3 and PDF lessons onto your computer so you can listen to and read on any device, anywhere. Learn more about English Collections.Would you help us translate this question and answer?